Hurricanes midfielder Riley Higgins signs with Edinburgh, eligible for Scotland selection

Monday, 20 April 2026

Predictably, the announcement dropped on a Sunday night, sport’s equivalent of political spin doctors emailing a press release containing ‘bad news’ late afternoon on a Friday when most reporters are long gone for the week.

Riley Higgins, the St Pat’s Silverstream product who burst on the scene with Wellington in 2022 at the same time as schoolmate Peter Lakai, is quitting the Hurricanes and New Zealand Rugby at age 23 to join Edinburgh after the NPC season.

Qualifying through his Ayrshire-born grandmother, Higgins is eligible for Scotland selection, too, which has the dynamic midfielder in line to become the latest kilted Kiwi in the bootprints of John and Martin Leslie, Gordon Simpson, Brendan Laney, Sean Maitland, and more recently Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke.

There was already a Scottish connection through Higgins’ older brother Kienan who played NPC for Hawke’s Bay and joined Edinburgh on a short-term deal in January.

At the start of last season Higgins was in pole position to be the Hurricanes’ No 12 in a shootout with Peter Umaga-Jensen, with Jordie Barrett absent in Ireland.

Big, fast and skilful, Higgins had his nose in front in that race (Umaga-Jensen later signed in Japan) after a standout 2024 NPC for Wellington but also proved luckless with injuries.

He broke his hand in two places at training in the leadup to their 2025 opener against the Crusaders, then returned to start three times alongside Billy Proctor in midfield before suffering a season-ending leg fracture against the Highlanders.

This season with Barrett back in No 12, Higgins’ only Hurricanes appearance was off the bench against the Force in Napier. Utility Jone Rova was largely preferred as the backup midfielder who could cover wing, especially when coach Clark Laidlaw picked a 6-2 forwards/backs split on the bench. Bailyn Sullivan can also cover midfield and wing.

“Riley’s well aware of the areas of the game that we want him to keep developing at. He’s frustrated but he’s just having to bide his time, I guess, and wait on the opportunity and try and take it when it comes,” Laidlaw said when asked about Higgins before the home win over the Blues.

Now, injuries or player rotation - which is a distinct possibility given the Hurricanes’ tough run into the playoffs without another bye - are the only way Higgins will add to his 19 Super Rugby appearances.

Certainly, Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt was excited at landing a big fish from New Zealand’s rugby factory. “The fact that he has chosen to turn down a potential All Blacks future, and has rejected higher offers elsewhere, to come to Edinburgh tells you everything about his ambition to succeed in Scotland. We worked enormously hard over many months to get this deal over the line, and I’m delighted we’ve got it done,” Everitt said.

One could argue it’s very early for a player such as Higgins to throw his lot in with Scotland, but also it’s little surprise as Super Rugby players who don’t see an immediate path into the All Blacks are forming an orderly queue at the international departures lounge.

Winger Fehi Fineanganofo - also just 23 - signed with Newcastle Red Bulls in January before he took the season by storm with the Hurricanes to sit top of the tryscoring charts with 10.

Devan Flanders is another weighing up his future amid strong rumours of a big money offer from Japan, with Laidlaw suggesting All Blacks selection might be the only way to stop him leaving.

“Certainly financially, if you’re not an All Black in this country the money you can make elsewhere is just night and day. We know that’s a challenge at Super Rugby level,” Laidlaw said last week.

Laidlaw and the Hurricanes wished Higgins well in the release, and the player himself said: “Wearing the Hurricanes jersey has shaped me in many ways. This club, the people, and the fans pushed me to grow as a player and as a person. I’ll hold onto that forever.

“I’m really excited for my new chapter over in Edinburgh. It’s an awesome opportunity for my partner and I to move to a historic city and a great club.”